High-income Millennials Will Popularize the “Urban Suburb,”
Suburban Neighborhoods with Public Transit, Walkability and Amenities

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 11, 2017--
(NASDAQ: RDFN)—The 2018 housing market is expected to be shaped by
continued demand for homeownership, tax reform’s effect on affordability
and low inventory. This is according to Redfin (www.redfin.com),
the next-generation real estate brokerage, in its predictions
for the 2018 housing market. Redfin chief economist, Dr. Nela
Richardson, expects the 2018 housing market to be the fastest on record,
with 30 percent of homes that sell next year going under contract within
two weeks, up from 25 percent in 2017.

If state and local tax (SALT) deductions are eliminated in high-tax
states like California, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts
and Illinois, some people will leave these states for places where they
can get more home for less money. In a survey of 900 homebuyers, a
third of respondents said that they would consider moving to another
state if they could no longer deduct state and local taxes. Redfin
migration data on its website users’ search activity reveals that
people are looking to leave expensive coastal cities for more affordable
mid-tier cities like Sacramento, Phoenix and Atlanta. The trend has
already started, and tax reform, if passed, will just intensify it.

Prediction #2: Fewer Homeowners Will Sell Due to New Residency
Requirements in Tax Reform Bills

Under current law, single homeowners can exclude $250,000 of sale
proceeds from capital gains taxes as long as they’ve lived in the home
for two out of the previous five years. Couples can exclude up to
$500,000. However, a new tax-reform proposal increases the number of
years to five of the previous eight years in order to deduct gains. This
change will incentivize some homeowners to stay in their homes longer.

Prediction #3: Wealthier Millennials Will Popularize “Urban Suburbs”

Certain high-income millennials are driving the formation of a new kind
of neighborhood—the urban suburb.

“We’re not talking about the Baby Boomer McMansions with huge yards,
where you have to drive a couple of miles for a cup of coffee,” said
Redfin Kansas City agent Wayne Gray. “We’re talking about neighborhoods
outside the city, but still relatively densely populated, with walkable
amenities and bikeable commutes.”

West Chester, Penn., Arlington, Mass. and East Meadow, NY top Redfin’s
list of urban suburbs expected to see an increase in demand from
millennials in 2018.

Prediction #4: Homes will Sell Faster than Ever, Up to 30% Within Two
Weeks

The 2017 housing market was fast, with 25 percent of homes selling in
two weeks or less during the peak of the buying season, and nearly 1 in
five homes (19%) off-market in less than a week. We expect 2018 to be
even faster.

Prediction #5: Mortgage Payments Will Increase at the Highest Rate in
a Decade

A combination of rising home prices and increasing interest rates is
likely to push monthly mortgage payments up even further next year.

Prediction #6: No Price Bubbles--Even in the Hottest Markets

Redfin analysts do not expect a bubble anywhere in 2018 for two main
reasons:

1. Buyers and sellers remain on the same page when it comes to price,
with a sale-to-list ratio at 100 percent or above in the most expensive
West Coast markets this year.

2. In West Coast metros where prices have now surpassed their 2006 peak,
homebuyer debt has declined.

Prediction #7: The ‘Golden Girls’ and ‘Friends’ Return

Roommates accounted for or 6.6 percent of all households (8,330,000
households total) in 2017, according to Census data. Redfin analysts
believe the trend of more people living with roommates will accelerate
in 2018 due to the lack of affordability combined with new startups
aimed at solving the problem.

“Inventory is expected to be the major factor shaping the 2018 housing
market, but that’s nothing new,” said Dr. Richardson. “For the third
year in a row, the nationwide inventory shortage is likely to continue
to hinder sales and increase prices. We expect small increases in
inventory at the high-end of the market by year-end. Starter-home
inventory has not increased meaningfully since 2011, and we don’t expect
it to increase at all next year. Exacerbating the problem is high rents
and vacation home rental platforms that make it both easy and lucrative
to own more than one home.”

Redfin (www.redfin.com)
is the next-generation real estate brokerage, combining its own
full-service agents with modern technology to redefine real estate in
the consumer's favor. Founded by software engineers, Redfin has the
country's #1 brokerage website and offers a host of online tools to
consumers, including the Redfin
Estimate, the automated home-value estimate with the industry's
lowest published error rate for listed homes. Homebuyers and sellers
enjoy a full-service, technology-powered experience from Redfin real
estate agents, while saving thousands in commissions. Redfin serves more
than 80 major metro areas across the U.S. The company has closed more
than $50 billion in home sales.

For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent,
visit www.redfin.com.
To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin
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